1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ashtrays. Specifically, the invention is a lockable ashtray that hides cigarette butts from view.
2. Description of the Related Art
The risks posed to children by cigarette butts are well known. For example, government and other health agencies frequently advise adult smokers to ensure that ashtrays and cigarette butts are kept away from the reach of children to help prevent children from ingesting or inhaling the cigarette butts (see, e.g., world wide web (www) sites: http://www.sph.unc.edu/smokefreekids/what/parent_text.htm, and http://www.drugabuse.gov/WHGD/WHGDDirRep6.html). The risk posed by cigarette butts is not limited to one country and impacts on the health of children around the world (see, e.g., http://www.health.gov.fj/tobacco.htm).
Very young children like to mimic adults. For example, a very young child might pick up a butt from an ashtray and place the butt in their mouth to mimic a parent who has a smoking habit. Very young children can ingest cigarette butts and suffer poisoning incidents because of toxins trapped in ingested filters. For example, between 1988 and 1991 seven hundred children under six years of age were reported to the Poison Control Center as a result of ingesting cigarette butts, McGee D, Brabson T, McCarthy J, Picciotti M.: “Four-year review of cigarette ingestions in children,” Pediatr Emerg Care, 1995 February, 11(1):13–6.
Homeless people sometimes engage in high-risk smoking practices such as using cigarette butts found in ashtrays. A recent study found that such high-risk smoking practices pose an increased risk of exposure to toxins trapped in filters and tobacco remains, and increase the threat of infectious disease transmission, Aloot C B, Vredevoe D L, Brecht M L: “Evaluation of high-risk smoking practices used by the homeless,” Cancer Nursing, 1993 April, 16(2), pp 123–30. Thus, there has been a long felt need for ways to help prevent homeless people and children gaining access to cigarette butts.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,787, issued Jan. 10, 1995 to R. K. Haines, describes a pop-up ashtray comprising a hinged lid. The contents of the '787 ashtray are accessed by applying minimal pressure to open the lid. The '787 device does not hinder a child from accessing cigarette butts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,694, issued Jun. 20, 2000 to Paul-Henri Ragot, describes a trash receptacle that comprises an outer container and an inner trashcan. The '694 device is not especially designed to handle butts. For example, in one embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 5) cigarette butts and general trash are thrown through a pair of self-closing gravity doors (member #28). The '694 patent teaches in FIG. 8 to place ashtrays in accessible locations on a plurality of outer posts (member #36). Thus, the '694 patent teaches away from the present invention.
U.S. Publication No. 20020190615 A1, published Dec. 19, 2002 to C. J. Lin, describes a garbage-box having a container body and a collection container. The '615 device includes a large garbage inlet that automatically opens in response to a sensor that senses the approach of a person. An accessible ashtray is provided proximate to the large garbage inlet thus allowing a child or homeless person to rifle through the ashtray to obtain butts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,746, issued Nov. 11, 1986 to Reichle, et al., describes a device for vending newspapers. The '746 device comprises a horizontally disposed drum mounted on a pedestal. A clear plastic dome is used to cover the open top of the drum. A lock and key arrangement is provided so that the dome may be secured to the drum and easily removed therefrom. The '746 device does not teach or suggest the present invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a lockable ashtray solving the aforementioned problems is desired.